Drop Duchy is an excellent example of a unique concept that slow burns its way into a “just one more” game kind of feel. The best way I can describe it is The Settlers of Catan meets Tetris. The game makes you build a deck with certain military or resource-based cards (i.e. a farm, watchtower, etc.) before going into the tetromino-style gameplay. You have to manage resources and fight back against enemies before becoming overwhelmed by their forces at the end of the stages. Resources like wood, grain, and gold are used to upgrade, buy, and trade your cards. Going into blind to the game it was a surprise factor that become quickly addicting.
This is no lie – I was annihilated almost every single round of Drop Duchy that I played. I came out of a stage on the winning side exactly one time. Every other was a case of lost health, and by the end of the chapter, wherein you have to try to fill the lines completely to avoid enemy reinforcements and a wall closes in on you, I was wiped out. It helped me understand the mechanics and the strategy better though, and it encouraged a drive to improve. I truly foresee the game being easy for many to pick up, but hard, yet rewarding, to master.
Drop Duchy releases in later this spring around April according to the developers at Sleepy Mill Studio. As I write this, I actually want to go back and play another few rounds of the demo to see how much farther I can improve and progress. I highly recommend keeping your eye out for this one if you enjoy tabletop strategy games as well as some classic rounds of Tetris.
Drop Duchy is slated to release for PC via Steam in April, 2025. You can download the free demo right now.
Related: Reviews by Matt O’Toole
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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